1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleating apparatus for mounting a vanity top within a recess formed in one side wall of a room such as a hotel or motel room.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In modern day hotel and motel rooms, it is common practice to provide a vanity table in the bathroom area or elsewhere which includes a vanity top, typically having a sink basin recessed therein. It is common practice to form such vanity top such that it closely fits the entire horizontal surface of the recess as viewed in top plan view. The difficulties attendant installation of such vanity tops are well known in the trade. Since such vanity tops are typically of an imitation marble material, such as Corian as manufactured by Dupont, the maneuvering of such tops into position for installation and the fitting of and the securement thereof to the room walls for support has proven to be an inconvenient and tedious task.
Typically, such vanity tops are supported from the recess in the wall of the hotel or motel room by attaching wooden rails in horizontal alignment to the opposed return walls and then attaching a rail along the rear wall. After such rails are so attached, a Corian plate forming the top surface of a vanity table is tediously moved into position and brought to rest on the top edges of such rails. A skirt is then typically mounted at the front of the rails, underneath the plate forming the vanity top to thus conceal the support rails and lend a balanced appearance adding to the aesthetics of the installation. In the process of completing the interior construction of the room being fitted with such a vanity, it has been found necessary to install the vanity top of the conventional contruction immediately after the dry wall is put into place thus limiting the flexibility of scheduling during construction.
Numerous different efforts have been made to provide cleating supports for various installations, other than vanity top installations. No such devices have been found readily adaptable to the vanity top installation in such a manner as to provide a fully satisfactory support arrangement which may be rapidly installed and which will readily receive the vanity top at any time during the time the interior of the room is being completed.
Representative of various efforts to provide cleating which will readily receive and mount various fixtures include sinks formed at their rear extremities with risers having at the backside thereof, down turned hooks for receipt in upwardly opening sockets. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,858,648. While satisfactorily serving the purpose for which the arrangement was intended, such hook and socket arrangements are unsatisfactory for mounting vanity skirts and the tops thereof.
Other efforts to develop bracketing for quick mounting of various devices have led to the provision of outwardly opening rails formed with down turned pockets for receipt of hooks carried from a element to be suspended from the rail. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,872. While serving the purpose intended, such devices are not readily adaptable to rapid and convenient mounting of a vanity skirt.